TodayHint

Pips July 27, 2026: Hints & Answers

Constructed by Ian Livengood, Rodolfo Kurchan, Rodolfo Kurchan, edited by Ian Livengood.

Recap

The easy board requires strategic placement to meet sum and difference constraints. The medium board involves finding equalities to anchor placements. The hard board demands meticulous planning due to its size and complex constraints.

The three boards that day

The tray and each region's rule — board data, no solutions.

Easy board · 5 dominoes · 7 regions

6–42–46–35–53–3

  • two cells: exactly 6.
  • 2 ×one cell: left uncovered.
  • one cell: under 3.
  • two cells: exactly 9.
  • two cells: exactly 11.
  • one cell: under 4.

Small number of dominoes and regions makes it manageable.

Medium board · 7 dominoes · 8 regions

6–50–36–24–02–53–60–2

  • 2 ×two cells: all matching.
  • one cell: under 3.
  • three cells: all matching.
  • 2 ×two cells: exactly 10.
  • 2 ×one cell: left uncovered.

More regions and dominoes than easy, but still straightforward.

Hard board · 16 dominoes · 17 regions

2–40–01–50–36–25–06–10–42–50–12–34–50–23–16–05–3

  • two cells: exactly 3.
  • 3 ×one cell: exactly 4.
  • three cells: exactly 0.
  • 3 ×three cells: all matching.
  • 2 ×one cell: exactly 0.
  • four cells: all matching.
  • two cells: exactly 2.
  • 2 ×one cell: more than 4.
  • two cells: exactly 0.
  • two cells: exactly 4.
  • one cell: left uncovered.

Large number of dominoes and complex constraints make it challenging.

Pips hints, one rung at a time

Six rungs, easy board first. The recap above already named the walkthroughs, so this ladder is here for anyone replaying the boards fresh rather than as a spoiler shield.

  1. How the three boards compared

    Sizes and constraint mixes, counted off the boards.

    Easy board
    5 dominoes, 7 regions (3 sum, 2 empty, 2 less)
    Medium board
    7 dominoes, 8 regions (3 equals, 2 empty, 2 sum, 1 less)
    Hard board
    16 dominoes, 17 regions (10 sum, 4 equals, 2 greater, 1 empty)
    Back to the board inventories
  2. Easy board: how to approach it

    Method only.

    Start by identifying regions with unique constraints, focusing on sums and differences.

  3. Easy board: where to start

    One region named by its constraint.

    Begin with the region that requires a sum of 6 over 2 cells.

  4. Medium board: approach and first region

    The same two steps, one difficulty up.

    Look for regions with equals constraints to anchor your placements.

    Start with a region that requires equals over 2 cells.

  5. Hard board: how to approach it

    Where the hard board differed in kind, not just size.

    Focus on regions with sum 0 or equals constraints to build a foundation.

  6. Hard board: where to start

    The last rung before the full walkthroughs.

    Begin with a region requiring sum 3 over 2 cells.

    Open the full walkthroughs

Every Pips walkthrough from that day

All three walkthroughs, folded: each one places every domino on its board, one after another.

  • Easy board · 5 dominoes

    Easy board walkthrough

    Place 6/4 in top left, 2/4 below it. Next, place 6/3 and 5/5. Then, 3/3 goes in the remaining spot. Connect regions to satisfy constraints.

  • Medium board · 7 dominoes

    Medium board walkthrough

    Place 6/5 and 0/3 in top spots. Connect 6/2 and 4/0 below. Then, place 2/5 and 3/6. Finish with 0/2 in the last region.

  • Hard board · 16 dominoes

    Hard board walkthrough

    Start by placing 0/0, 6/0, and 5/0 in sum 0 regions. Place 2/4 and 0/4 near them. Connect 6/2 and 6/1. Then, place 1/5 and 0/3. Continue with 2/5, 4/5, and 3/1. Finish with remaining dominoes, ensuring all constraints are met. This requires careful planning and backtracking.

Those boards by the numbers

Date
Monday, July 27, 2026
Boards
3 — easy, medium, hard
Dominoes in play
28 across the three boards
Easy board
5 dominoes · 7 regions
Medium board
7 dominoes · 8 regions
Hard board
16 dominoes · 17 regions

More Pips

See the live Pips hints and answers page for the current boards, or browse every archived Pips date by month.

Try the other two puzzles